At the season-opener of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in Qatar, the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the BMW M4 GT3 EVO delivered strong performances, making a significant impact in the competition against the world's top manufacturers. The two BMW M Team WRT hypercars finished in fourth and seventh places respectively, earning valuable points for the World Championship standings. In the LMGT3 class, the #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO achieved a podium finish, coming in third.
At the start of its second season in the FIA WEC, the BMW M Hybrid V8 demonstrated strong pace. In qualifying, Dries Vanthoor secured a spot on the front row with a second-place finish in 1:38.495 minutes – a first for the hypercar, missing pole position by just 0.136 seconds. Robin Frijns also made it into the top-ten Hyperpole with the sister car.
During the race, the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 initially fell back, but the team, including Vanthoor, Kevin Magnussen, and Raffaele Marciello, fought their way back to the top positions with strong lap times over the ten-hour race. In the end, only the three Ferraris, which battled among themselves for the win, were faster. The #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Frijns, René Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde, was at one point in third place but finished seventh due to varying strategies.
In the LMGT3 class, a BMW M Motorsport crew celebrated a podium finish. Augusto Farfus, Timur Boguslavskiy, and Yasser Shahin drove the #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO to third place, mounting a remarkable comeback from 14th on the grid after a setback in qualifying. The #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, piloted by Kelvin van der Linde, Valentino Rossi, and Ahmad Al Harthy, faced challenges and finished eleventh in the LMGT3 class.
This was a very good start to our second season in the FIA WEC. We are happy about the important points for the World Championship standings and the continuation of our positive trend from the end of the 2024 season and the Daytona IWSC opener a few weeks ago. We can definitely build on this performance. Congratulations to Augusto Farfus, Timur Boguslavskiy, and Yasser Shahin for their podium in the LMGT3 class.
Looking at where we were in Qatar a year ago, we have improved significantly. Not making it to the podium with our hypercar is tough, but the Ferraris were hard to beat. The guys did an incredible job, and we are happy to take the result home. In the LMGT3 category, we had a challenging weekend and not the fastest car. Still, making it to the podium with the #31 is very positive.
Driver statements.
Dries Vanthoor (BMW M Team WRT, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, 4th place): “After starting second, fourth place might not be the result we hoped for, but we didn't have a flawless race – including from my side. Without these mistakes, we could probably have fought for third place, even though there was no way past the Ferraris this weekend. They were incredibly fast in every session, making it very difficult to beat them. That was clear from the start. I think we can be satisfied. I believe we can be proud of the progress we've made compared to last year. However, we are not there yet. It's clear that we are not the fastest yet – so we need to keep working hard.”
Sheldon van der Linde (BMW M Team WRT, #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, 7th place): “That wasn't bad. We can really be satisfied with the progress we've made in a year. Looking at where we were last year – both cars outside the top-ten – we've made a huge step forward. I think we can really be proud of BMW M Motorsport for giving us a car that we can really race with. The drivability has improved tremendously, and that now allows us to compete with other cars. As a driver, that's a great feeling because you feel that you're also doing a better job.”
Augusto Farfus (The Bend Team WRT, #31 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 3rd place LMGT3 class): “Considering where we started and where we finished the race – nobody would have predicted this. It shows what a great team we have behind us and what a strong driver lineup, as we executed it perfectly. Taking a podium home feels like a win. After qualifying, we wouldn't have expected this result. Third place gives us great hope that we can maintain the momentum.”
Kelvin van der Linde (Team WRT, #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 11th place LMGT3 class): “It's frustrating that we finished the race outside the top-ten. We have so much potential within the team and our driver line-up. For some reason, we didn't have the same pace as our sister car. The team will investigate this. We also need to put the penalties behind us. We need to deal with it, shake off the result, and look forward.”